The James Caird Society Newsletter Issue 14 · July 2008 Antarctic ice shelf continues to break up Inside this issue Pages 2–3 News from the James Caird Society, including ‘Some presidential outings’ Pages 4–5 Polar News, including the Christie’s 2007 sale of some Shackleton letters Page 6 Tim Jarvis gives an update on the Shackleton Epic Expedition Page 7 Lt Col Henry Worsley on the Shackleton Centenary Expedition, 2008 Site of the former Larsen-B Ice Shelf and the Antarctic Peninsula. Pages 8–9 A giant Antarctic ice shelf that began to break up in February is shedding Author John Gimlette on ‘The Other End of the ice despite the approach of winter, according to the European Space Agency. Atlantic’ The break-up is the latest sign that warmer In 2002, the Larsen-B Ice Shelf col- Page 10 temperatures are affecting the Antarctic lapsed, with 453 billion tonnes of ice A tribute to the late Peninsula. The peninsula has warmed about breaking up into icebergs in less than a Sir Edmund Hillary 2.5 degrees Celsius in the past 50 years, and month. seven ice shelves have retreated or disinte- Other shelves that have collapsed in the Page 11 grated in the past two decades, ESA said. past 30 years include Prince Gustav Chan- On David Tatham’s new About 160km2 broke off the shelf in late nel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Wordie, Muller Dictionary of Falklands May, the first documented calving of ice in and Jones. Biography winter. The shelf’s link between Charcot While the Antarctic Peninsula is losing and Latady islands more than halved to ice, the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a whole will Pages 12–13 2.7km and now risks breaking completely, remain ‘too cold for surface melting and is Sir Wally Herbert, explorer and polar artist, remembered said ESA, which monitors the region by expected to gain in mass due to increased satellite. snowfall,’ the United Nations Intergovern- Pages 14–15 ‘The remaining plate has an arched frac- mental Panel on Climate Change said last A round-up of this year’s ture at its narrowest position, making it year. Even so, scientists have said global polar publications very likely that the connection will break warming may cause further melting in completely in the coming days,’ said Antarctica. Page 16 Matthias Braun at Bonn University, and The Wilkins shelf lost 570km2 in Feb- Some Shackleton Angelika Humbert at Muenster University, ruary and March, the British Antarctic memorabilia and how to join both in Germany. They have been monitor- Survey said in March earlier this year. That the Society ing the Wilkins Ice Shelf for months. followed a loss of 1,000km2 in 1998. Registered Charity No. 1044864 James Caird Society News Some presidential outings Edmund’s Garter banner. by Alexandra Shackleton The Chapel is the spirit- ual home of the Order June 2007 To Portsmouth at the invitation of Captain of the Garter, instituted Bob Tarrant RN to see his ship HMS Endurance receive the in 1348 by Edward III, Freedom of the City, a rarely bestowed honour. At the and the banners of liv- historic ceremony the Lord Mayor was resplendent in ing knights (and ladies glorious robes, foaming with lace and adorned with the now) hang in the Quire. magnificent chain of office. Afterwards, the ship’s com- The Military Knights of Windsor, uniformed in scarlet pany exercised their new privilege of marching through with silver breastplates trooped the banner up to the Dean the city. who laid it on the altar. Sir Edmund’s crest and banner, designed by the College of Heralds, splendidly evoked his November 2007 life. The crest is a kiwi holding an ice-axe in its beak and To Barcelona to speak at the the banner depicts a pair of emperor penguins supporting exhibition ‘Atrapats al gel’ a shield showing the peaks of the Himalayas, surmounted (‘Trapped in the Ice’). The by three Buddhist prayer wheels for the Nepalese people American Museum of Natural for whom Sir Edmund did so much after conquering History created this exhibi- Everest with Sherpa Tenzing. The motto is ‘nothing ven- tion (based on the Endurance ture, nothing win’. story) in 1999. Since then it Afterwards, the President was interviewed by New has toured America, visited Zealand TV on the connection between Shackleton and Ireland and reached Spain Hillary. She said there were two connections: not only last year, where it will tour for three years under the aus- had Hillary led the Ross Sea Party of the Commonwealth pices of the Fundació Caixa Catalunya, a cultural foun- Trans-Antarctic Expedition (led by Vivien Fuchs) which dation. Much additional material, which considers achieved in 1955–58 what Ernest Shackleton had hoped Antarctica from a scientific point of view, has been to achieve in 1914–16; but Shackleton’s son, Edward, the added. The Barcelona opening took place in the Maritime first President of the James Caird Society and father of Museum, a fine building, once a shipyard. The President, the current President was himself a Knight of the Garter. who was given an interpreter, planned to apologise for An interesting year. not speaking Spanish, but was told that the really tactful thing was to apologise for not speaking Catalan. Everything was conducted in both languages, so being An evening to remember interviewed took ages, and the exhibition had two cata- Our very well-attended Members’ Evening on Friday 9th logues. ‘Trapped in the Ice’, which is very impressive, will May must rate as one of the James Caird Society’s most be in Liverpool in 2010. lively and entertaining evenings. It was also one of the December 2007 To speak at the Whyte & Mackay Earls warmest evenings of the year. Court Boat Show to which Dulwich College had lent the Our speaker, Paul Rose, has James Caird. A great show and a nice link with the past, made an outstanding contribution since the boat’s successful 1999 visit to the Olympia Boat both in work in the Polar Regions Show inspired Harding Dunnett, Old Alleynian, to found and in his media career. He was a the James Caird Society and become our first Chairman. charismatic former Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society February 2008 To the University of Brighton to open and also the Base Commander of their conference ‘The Polar Environments, Past, Present Rothera Research Station. and Future’ which was held in support of the Inter- national Polar Year, designed to focus world attention on His talk covered his action-packed life as explorer, the Polar Regions. The President – undeniably represent- yacht skipper, mountain safety consultant as well as ing the past, as she pointed out – spoke on the Nimrod leader of many scientific expeditions to Antarctica, expedition. The present and the future were mainly rep- Greenland and the Indian Ocean. His theme highlighted resented by scientists. There was very positive feedback people who had influenced him during his life, and who from those attending. had managed to kindle a flame in peoples’ lives by their own inspiration and guidance. These people surviving April 2008 To St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, for against impossible odds of extreme cold, heat and pain. the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Sir Edmund The talk was well illustrated by his slides. Hillary KG ONZ MBE. The Queen, the Princess Royal and Proceeds and donations to the dinner will go to the the Duke of Gloucester attended, as did Lady Hillary and ‘Shackleton Epic Expedition’ in 2009, led by Tim Jarvis. the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who gave an address. The impressive service ended with the laying up of Sir Pippa Hare, Hon Secretary 2 · The James Caird Society Newsletter · July 2008 News in brief November 2007 Society Auction Biography of a College An auction of memorabilia donated by Society members A new book about Dulwich College has been published. raised a total of £1,295, with nearly all of the items Called Dulwich College: a History, 1616–2008 it is by exceeding their guide price and with one item in partic- former college archivist Jan Piggott. Jan is well known to ular – an original postcard of the Nimrod expedition – the Society, having been a Committee member as well as going over by five times the guide. All items were do- the curator of the exhibition Shackleton, the Antarctic nated by members of the Society, and the Auction took and Endurance (2000). His lavish biography of the home place on 2nd November 2007. of the Society is available from the Dulwich College · ‘Framed embroidery of Walter How’s sketch of Endurance’ by Commissariat and is extraordinarily good value at £24. Grace Turzig (Walter How’s niece). Donated by Grace Turzig. Hammer price: £100 Email: [email protected] · ‘Two framed antique prints’ (Shackleton 1916 & Scott 1912). Tel: 020 8299 9222 Donated by Stephen Scott-Fawcett. Hammer price: £170 · ‘Original postcard of the Nimrod expedition.’ Donated by Henry Ernest Shackleton Autumn School Worsley. Hammer price: £130 · ‘Set of nine British Antarctic Territory stamps mounted in a Friday 24th — Monday 27th October 2008 walnut frame.’ Donated by Henry Worsley. Hammer price: £150 The Athy Heritage Centre has · ‘Copy of The Great White South by Herbert Ponting (3rd Edi- established the Ernest Shack- tion, 1923).’ Donated by Henry Worsley. Hammer price: £130 leton Autumn School to cele- · ‘Unframed original antique steel engraving of the Polar brate the life and work of the Regions.’ Donated by Stephen Scott-Fawcett. Hammer price: £350 great Antarctic explorer in the · ‘Unframed modern canvas print of Sir Ernest and Lady Emily area of his birth.